


It Was the Nightingale

by EtoilesJaunes



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is a pastry hoe, F/M, Gratuitous French, Hurt/Comfort, Mari accidentally buys actual cat toys for Chat, Mari beats up a giant chicken, Mari manhandles everyone, Marichat May 2018, Plagg is a cheese hoe, Taking Care of Cuts, shenanigans ensue, there's a couple of reveal things in here. no apologies.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-04-27 04:24:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14417622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtoilesJaunes/pseuds/EtoilesJaunes
Summary: Kwamis, croissants, and (questionably) creative puns -- oh, my!A series of standalone one-shots in various AUs for Marichat May 2018. AKA a month-long "who's the bigger dork?" contest.Prompts in the titles, feel free to skip around, but 100% our favorite catsuit-clad hero and his favorite designer. (Edit: like 95% that, some Adrinette is sneaking its way in where appropriate. Fight me.)





	1. Sleep Here, You're Hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sooo I'm planning on posting chapters daily, but we all know how real life works out. I may or may not be pre-writing some of them in an attempt to stay ahead, so if I'm not caught up with the next prompt, I might re-order some of them to keep things constant. Also, I'm on HST time zone, so my 'day one' might be your 'day two,' #dealwithit

“Tikki, I never want to see another rat again.”

Marinette shuddered as she pulled her blanket closer around her, cupping her tea to her chest. The kwami didn’t even hear her, already passed out on the cushion on her desk. The akuma today had been particularly troublesome, most of that owing to the horrific quality of said vermin.

From what she and Chat gathered, some guy had gotten sick of the rat problem in his apartment, and when his landlord refused to do something about it, Hawk Moth had capitalized on his rage and disgust to bring a plague of them to Paris itself.

Though, the word ‘rat’ didn’t really give them enough credit. The creatures summoned from the sewers barely fit through the manhole covers and had enhanced claws and teeth — it was everything Chat and Ladybug could do to try and keep them away. Luckily, they were able to suspend the man — Thomas — from the Eiffel Tower just long enough to rip the landlord’s denial of his request and purify the akuma before the rats clawed their way up.

Still, it had been absolutely exhausting. Not to mention the bruises she would have had on her sides, or the cuts she would have had on her face, had it not been for her restoring magic. Tikki was going to get a batch of specially made cookies tomorrow, when she could think.

As for now, it was time for rest. She wished Tikki a good-night she knew she wouldn’t hear and set her now-empty mug on the floor beside her bed, pulling up her covers. As she began drifting off to sleep, she was calculating how many times she would be able to snooze her alarm to make it to school on time. She could already hear her groans at the sound.

Except…

Why was her head projecting her voice to the balcony? And when had her voice become male?

Marinette slowly sat up, adrenaline filling her drained limbs as she strained her ears for more sounds. There was a thump, a tired curse, and another groan.

Tikki was still asleep, but Marinette called on her courage as Ladybug to open the skylight and peer out. What she saw was her partner, in all his leather catsuited glory, lying on her balcony.

“Chat?” she asked, ignoring her protesting muscles to pull herself out. “What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”

She received a small whimper in reply. Her eyes were drawn to his hands, both clutching his side. Alarms went off in her head as she tripped in her rush to sprint the meter and a half to him.

“Kitty, what did you do?” There wasn’t any blood leaking, but the suits were impenetrable, so it couldn’t be that…

“Robber… Had to stop him…” Chat panted, wincing at the effort before taking a deep breath and continuing with a brief smile. “He’s not a problem anymore, but I was tired and took a couple hard hits. Some cuts, too. He had a dagger.”

“But your suit…?”

That earned a grimace. “I… I didn’t have time to transform.”

Marinette froze, equal quantities of rage and concern boiling up inside. She couldn’t express any of the first, though; she was Marinette now, not Ladybug. Marinette’s brain scrambled, trying to figure out what to say, but he spoke first.

“Sorry I came here, it was the closest location I knew would be safe.” He looked up at her with pleading eyes, definitely taking advantage of every kitten-like aspect about them. “Can I just stay here for an hour to rest? You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Nonsense.” Her take-action attitude spoke for her. “You’re coming down and staying in my room. I’ll sleep on the chaise.”

Chat was shaking his head before she was finished, attempting to push himself to a seated position. “No, no, I couldn’t ask that of you. I’ll… I’ll go, I’m fine.” His body betrayed him then, sending a flash of pain through his torso and causing him to gasp. Marinette caught his shoulders in her arms before he could fall.

“You’re not fine. I can support you, but I can’t carry you. Do you think you could make it to the skylight?” Chat nodded in reply. “Good. Let’s get you up — easy does it.”

The two slowly stood and made their way over. It seemed like a much longer distance now. Marinette went through first, standing on her bed to support him as he came down. She wasn’t entirely prepared, though, and her strength wasn’t at its prime, and it ended up being more of an ‘at least it was kind of deflected and at least it was on a bed not the floor because there’s no way we’re not falling’ operation than a ‘poor kitty, let me catch you’ thing.

Given that Marinette’s knees had buckled when they fell, Chats face ended up mere inches above her own. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds as he regained control again. When he opened them, it was a second before his lips turned up at the corners and he winked. “It appears you’ve fallen for me,” he said in a low voice.

Marinette’s concerned expression deadpanned. “If you’re well enough to pun, you’re well enough to get off of me so I can take care of you.”

“If you insist,” he replied, rolling onto his back and looking like he was done moving for the night.

“You mentioned getting cut? Where?”

“Just on my chest. Nothing deep. Don’t worry about it.”

Marinette huffed in reply. “I _am_ going to worry about it.” There was a brief pause as she bit her lip, thinking. The suits didn’t come off, so… “I’m going to grab a towel and a first aid kit. Can you de-transform and cover your face with a pillow or a blanket or something so I can look at your wounds? And... I'm sorry, but you're shirt's going to have to come off, too.”

“I’ve been in your bed for thirty seconds and you’re already trying to undress me? Someone’s eager.” A shit-eating grin appeared on his face as he cracked open an eye to catch her expression. Her eyes widened and a blush rose to her face.

“D-Don’t make me change my mind about letting you stay here, Kitty.” She attempted to roll her eyes before she carefully descended the ladder.

A flash of green filled the room when she was down and halfway to the trapdoor, immediately followed by a long, drawn-out _“Cheeeeeeeesssssseeeeeee!”_

Marinette paused. “Pardon?” She didn’t dare turn around, no matter how much she wanted to.

“Sorry,” Chat’s voice floated down. “My kwami, Plagg, needs to recharge — _crap,_ I don’t have anything on me. Do you have any kind of cheese I could feed him?”

“Of course!” Marinette said brightly, excited at the prospect of getting to meet another kwami. “Should I carry him down so he can pick out which kind?”

Before she knew it, something small and black was on her shoulder, leaning against her neck. “You’re a lot nicer than him. Why couldn’t…” He trailed off. Marinette assumed he had fallen asleep and chuckled lightly.

She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen as quietly as she could. When she got to the fridge, she opened it and started looking for the cheese. She gently picked Plagg off of her shoulder and held him in her hand so he could see. The kwami was wide awake, surprising her, and looking at her with a critical eye.

“He loves you, you know.”

“He — what?”

Plagg rolled his eyes, floating an inch off her palm, but she didn’t move her hand. “Look, I won’t say anything to him, but I have _night vision_ and you aren’t exactly hiding Tikki right now.” Marinette’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth, not even preparing whatever she was about to stammer out when Plagg continued. “Like I said, I won’t tell, but for the love of Camembert, can you like… make yourself less attractive or something? He won’t shut up about you.”

Marinette suppressed a giggle as she parted the kwami’s head. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said. “As for now, it looks like we have cheddar, mozzarella, or brie. Do any of those do anything for you?”

Plagg nodded. “Since it’s such short notice, I can make do with brie.”

Marinette pulled out the wheel and held it, letting the kwami use it as his new mode of transportation. He immediately began chomping down as she watched with a smile. They went into the bathroom so she could retrieve the first aid kit before heading back upstairs. She set Plagg and his cheese down on the desk next to Tikki, the red kwami still sleeping soundly.

Now, for the main problem. Right. Chat was in her bed. She tried not to let her mind go down any other path than the ones involving bandages and anti-bacterial gel, but as she pulled herself up the last few rings of the ladder, she really couldn’t stop. He’d taken his shirt off, revealing his chest and stomach, and even with the various injuries mottling his torso, she could tell he was _very_ well-built.

Not that she didn’t know that beforehand, of course — leather didn’t exactly hide much — but there was definitely a difference between knowing it was there and seeing it in person.

“I can’t tell if your silence is because it’s really that bad, or if it’s really that good,” Chat drawled, and Marinette could _hear_ the smirk as her eyes shot to his blanket covered face. She snapped her jaw closed (had it really been open?) and struggled for some excuse. Chat took mercy on her, thank goodness. “Kidding, Mari.” (He wasn’t.)

She finished climbing the ladder and sat next to him on the bed. Her eyes travelled back down his body, ignoring his sculpted muscles (for the most part) and instead focusing on the cuts and bruises decorating his skin.

“Oh, Kitty,” she sighed, fingers ghosting over the largest bruise, the size of a grapefruit and on the side of his ribs.

“Don’t ever underestimate the kicking power of the unjust,” Chat mumbled.

“I can’t do anything for the bruises besides give you some painkillers, but I have some ointment and bandages for the cuts. Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay. You’re an angel.”

“And you’re tired and delirious.” She laughed, popping open the bottle of painkillers and pressing two — make that three — pills into his hand. It disappeared under the blanket so he could take them while she busied herself with the cuts.

Ten minutes later, the wounds were cleaned, treated, and bandaged to the best of her ability. “All set,” she said before yawning. “Is there anything else you need before I head down?”

Chat’s arm snaked out and caught her wrist, pulling her against him. “Just you, princess,” he sighed. His other arm looped around her waist as he turned into his side. For a moment, she considered struggling, but her own exhaustion took over and she settled back against him.

* * *

 

Morning found her bed empty, the only trace of him being a note pinned to the cork board next to her bed.

 _Thanks for saving one of my nine lives. I owe you one, Purrincess.  
_ _x Chat_

She didn’t know why, but her cheek tingled as she read it.


	2. Can I Pick, Princess?

“Soooooo… What do you want to watch next?”

“Whatever you want to watch, Princess.”

“You said that last time! And the time before that, and the time before that…”

“Fine. I want to watch whatever makes you happy.”

Marinette playfully shoved him, careful not to disrupt the laptop balanced on her thighs. “That’s not an answer, and you know it. You’re putting a lot of responsibility on me, having me choose all the time.”

“Well,” Chat started, and Marinette tilted her head to see his playful smirk, “I have to basically save the entire city on almost a daily basis. Something tells me you’re up to the task of picking a movie. Besides, you have such wonderful taste.”

The girl almost snorted at that. “Then you’d be the first guy to tell me so. Especially considering you’ve been through three of my rom-com binges.”

Chat nuzzled the top of her head. “Anything to spend time with my princess.” Marinette sighed, set her laptop down, and cuddled further into his chest in spite of herself.

“Mmm, you’re making me not want to go downstairs for snacks.” She felt him laughing and looked up at his smile with one of her own.

“You want to talk about tough choices…” Marinette giggled as his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer against him. “I’m not… being difficult with that, am I?”

Marinette gently turned around so she was looking more fully at him. “What do you mean?”

Chat leaned his head back against the couch. “I… I guess, is it irritating if I don’t decide on something?”

Marinette cupped his cheeks with her hands, encouraging him to look at her again. “I could never be irritated with you, Kitty. I just want you to be happy, and I worry that my decisions aren’t what you would want. I want you to get what you want, too.” She was happy to see a smile return to Chat’s face.

“Thanks. I just… Ugh. This is embarrassing, I don’t know why I’m still talking. I’m sorry.”

“Chat. Don’t ever feel embarrassed about anything in front of me. I’m here to be your friend, not to judge you.”

He took his time collecting his thoughts before speaking again. “My life runs on a schedule. Literally. I receive one every morning. If there’s anything I want to do, I have to ask my father, and he doesn’t really see the benefit to a lot of things that I want to do. So I usually get denied. Being Chat is the only time I get to really be free, but even then, it’s just ‘go out, help Ladybug cleanse the akuma, get back before anyone notices you’re gone.’ Being with you is… it’s kind of the first time anyone’s asked me what I want to do. And I don’t really know how to deal with it.”

“Oh, Kitty…” Marinette leaned forward to kiss his forehead, then wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t ever want you to think that I’d deny something you ask, okay? I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I want to help you.”

Chat hugged her closer to him. “Thank you. You’re amazing, you know that?” 

“Takes one to know one,” she replied, pulling back. “Now. I’m going downstairs to get us some snacks. Do you want matcha or raspberry macarons?”

He took a moment to think. “Is raspberry okay?”

“Raspberry is perfect. I’ll be right back.”

* * *

 

The following Monday, Mlle Bustier assigned a partnered research project. With partners she randomly assigned.

“I don’t care who I get, as long as it’s not Chloé,” Marinette whispered to Alya, who nodded in agreement.

“Alya, you will be with… Rose,” the teacher called from the front. Alya turned to give the other girl a thumbs-up and a smile. “Adrien, you will be with… Marinette.”

It took a nudge from Alya’s not-so-friendly elbow to get Marinette to un-freeze at the sound of her name. She managed to return Adrien’s smile as he turned to look at her with his  _ perfect—  _ Nope! Not thinking about him right now! She snapped herself back to attention as Mlle Bustier finished reading off the pairs, then told them they’d be finishing class in the library to get a head start.

One hurried excuse and five minutes in the bathroom with Alya later, Marinette was able to approach the table where Adrien had set up his stuff. She pulled out her notebook and a pen and set her bag on the chair next to her, taking some deep breaths before she had to look up at him. “So…” she started, fiddling with the pen. “What poem do you want to analyze?”

Adrien shrugged. “I really don’t care. Which one do you want to do?”

This had not been in the battle plan she and Alya had not come up with. “Oh, gosh, uhm…” What she  _ really _ wanted was for Adrien to tell her what  _ he _ wanted to do, so she could actually  _ focus _ on doing something that wasn’t staring at him like a complete idiot. But then, something nudged the conversation she’d had with Chat the week before to the front of her mind. 

Marinette quickly made comparisons to the life Chat said he lived and what she knew of Adrien’s… For crying out loud, she’d been able to re-create his weekly schedule! Maybe he didn’t feel comfortable making decisions either…? 

Summoning her confidence as Ladybug, Marinette squared her shoulders. “What if I narrow it down to three or four that I’d be okay with doing, and you can pick from that?”

Adrien visibly relaxed, shooting Marinette a grateful smile. “That sounds great, thank you.”

For what felt like the first time in a while, Marinette’s smile wasn’t awkward or forced.

* * *

 

Movie night with Paris’ favorite black cat came around again. Marinette had dragged a small table over to the couch to put her laptop on so she could lay with her head on Chat’s lap without either having to watch the screen at an awkward angle.

“What are you in the mood for tonight?”

“How about… Horror?”

Marinette laughed at the choice, finding the genre to scroll through it. “Just to warn you, I’m not the best with jump scares. I might grab your arm and never let go.”

Chat’s eyebrows drew together in worry. “We don’t have to watch a horror movie if you don’t want to,” he said.

“No, no, it’s fine. I want to. Just letting you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Mari-”

“Too late; it’s done!” She clicked on one at random, something with a bloody, demonic thing on the cover that she didn’t see the title of. “We’re watching this.”

Chat sighed, but didn’t argue as the opening credits came up, instead bringing one of his hands up to stroke Marinette’s hair.

Exactly one hour and thirty-eight minutes later, Marinette was still stroking Chat’s back. “It’s okay, scaredy cat. The movie’s over now.”

“I know.” The reply was lost somewhere against the blanket between him and her stomach. Marinette felt a pang of sympathy and quickly considered the trouble she’d be in if her parents found out versus how much she (and Chat, probably) would benefit from her asking…

“Do you want to sleep over here? I know it’s dark out there. I completely feel your pain.” She felt him nod after a moment. “Alright. We might not be too comfortable just staying here. And I still need to get ready for bed. You can freshen up, too, if you want. I can get some cheese for Plagg.” He nodded again, causing her to laugh. “Kitty, you’re gonna have to let go of me.”

“Don’t wanna,” he groaned, but loosened his hold enough for her to stand up. She flipped her lights on, blinking in the sudden brightness but being grateful for banishing the dark nonetheless.

“I’ll head in first, then get the cheese and be back up. I can leave you some clothes, if you don’t wanna sleep in the suit… I promise I won’t look. And knowing me, you’ll wake up before me so… Yeah. No pressure, though.”

Chat stood and walked over to her, drawing her into a hug. “Thanks, Princess.”

Marinette giggled. “You’re not gonna let go of me, are you?”

“Nope,” he sighed.

* * *

 

“Princess…”

Marinette groaned in response, reaching out blindly to find whatever was making that noise. She encountered something soft. She smiled, trying to pull it towards her, when something closed around her wrist and stopped her.

“Marinette, what are you doing?”

She opened her eyes to find Chat standing to the side of her bed, grinning despite a fistful of his hair being in her hand. She let out a noise that was somewhere between a scream and a groan, letting his hair go and flinching back before her memory of the previous night came back to her. She put her hand to her heart. “Kitty, don’t  _ scare _ me like that.”

Chat laughed. “Sorry, I just wanted to say bye before I head out.”

“Do you have to?” she pouted, earning her a shrug. 

“Someone’s gonna notice I’m gone. I’ll come back tonight, if you want me to?” Marinette mumbled her assent. “All right, I’ll see you later.”

She felt something warm on the top of her head. When she collected herself enough to say something coherent, he was already gone.

* * *

 

That night, when she heard the tapping on the skylight, she didn’t look up from her sketchbook. “Come in,” she called. He was by her side quicker than she’d planned, and almost fell out of her chair when his nearness startled her. “Hey, Kitty,” she said, a faint blush on her cheeks.

“How’s my favorite princess doing?” He leaned on her desk, and easy grin on his lips.

“Ugh,” she answered, shutting her sketchbook. “I’ve got this idea for a dress, and I’m trying to draw it, but I just can’t seem to get it on paper like it is in my mind. I don’t even have anything planned for what we’re gonna do, I’m sorry. I’m a terrible person.”

Chat laughed at that, ignoring the look Marinette sent his way. “You’re not a terrible person for not having something planned.” He paused for a moment. “But, as long as you  _ don’t… _ Can I pick, Princess?”

Marinette visibly brightened at that as she nodded. “As long as we’re not like… Howling at the moon or something.”

He rolled his eyes. “Pretty sure that’s wolves, Mari. But… You might need a jacket.”

That was how she found herself being carried by the other half of Paris’ superhero duo as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Not having to worry about where her feet were landing gave her the freedom to really appreciate the view, the wind in her hair, the disconnect from the city as seen from the rooftops. She didn’t know where they were going, but she wasn’t too worried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I swear, I had more of an ending planned for this. I just can't get it to not sound forced and awkward, soooo it's getting left out. I might come back and add it or something :) thanks for reading!


	3. Adopted Chat

Marinette pushed open the door to the fabric store, the bell jingling merrily as a smile lit up her face. Coming here always made her day, sometimes even her week if she found something good on sale. She began her usual circuit when her phone began to ring.

She pulled the device out of her purse and saw that her mother was calling her.  _ “Allô?” _

“Marinette, I’m so glad you picked up!” 

“When don’t I,  _ Maman?” _ Marinette cradled her phone between her chin and shoulder as she inspected a bolt of black cotton with a green paw print pattern. After two years of defending the city, the superheroes had slowly trickled down into normal aspects of everyday life, including fabric shops, apparently. This would be  _ perfect _ as a base for a shirt in a Chat Noir-themed outfit she was planning.

“Before ten on the weekends, when you’re out with Alya, when you have a design idea you’re really concentrating on, when you’re watching those ads of that model you like—”

“Alright-that’s-enough!” Marinette half-shouted into the receiver, suddenly struggling to keep hold of the cloth. She could have sworn she heard a choking noise in her mother’s background, but she might have just been projecting. “I’m sure you have an actual reason for calling?”

“Oh, yes. I was wondering if you could get some milk on your way back? We have a little…  _ addition _ at the moment, one that really loves milk.”

Marinette paused in her effort to reach some black lace on the shelf. “An… Addition?”

“That’s right. We found a stray hanging around and decided we should make him a part of this family. It might be nice, having him here, and he certainly seems to love the attention. You’re father’s with him now, he’s basically purring.” Marinette could hear laughter in her mother’s voice.

“Oh, my God, I can’t believe we have a cat! Did you name him yet?” She could barely contain the squeal threatening to overtake her voice. She couldn’t  _ wait _ to tell Chat about this. She was already envisioning it — her, Chat, and this new kitten, all snuggled up on the couch for a movie marathon. She was so caught up that she almost missed her mother’s reply.

“We’re waiting for you first. Hurry back!”

“I will, Maman!” She quickly hung up, moving to the counter with the cloth. As the attendant cut the lengths, she was all but bouncing on the balls of her feet. She left the store feeling like she was flying. On her way to the corner store near the bakery, she passed a little shop that displayed various pet collars, toys, and more. She paused for a moment, then wondered why she wasn’t in there, like,  _ yesterday. _

-

“Thank you, Mr. Dupain, you’re amazing.”

“If I have to tell you to call me Tom one more time, you’re not getting a take-home box,” the man sternly warned, completely contradicting the warm smile as well as the fact that he was already placing another  _ pain au chocolat _ on Chat’s plate.

Sabine laughed as she ended the conversation with Marinette and turned back to the boys. “She’s on her way.”

“What did she say?” Tom asked.

The woman gave her husband a sly smile. “She’s very excited about the fact that we’re adopting a stray cat.”

Tom laughed at that, but Chat was more hesitant. “She’s going to kill me when she sees me. I hope I can count on some kind of protection.”

Sabine cocked an eyebrow. “Someone to protect one of the saviors of Paris?”

“If I had to pick who would win in a fight between Marinette and literally any akuma I’ve gone up against, it would be her. Hands down.”

Sabine turned towards Tom and whispered something that suspiciously sounded like something about a wedding. Chat did his best to ignore it.

Eight minutes later, they heard footsteps on the stairs outside. Chat braced himself. Behind him, Tom held up his camera. 

The door burst open. “OH MY GOD WHERE IS —— ...he.” The next second and a half proved to Chat that his Princess was capable of showing more different emotions in that time than most entire movies had. It ended with her cheeks going red and trying to hide one of her hands behind her back. “Right. So… I’m just going to set this milk on the counter and head up to my room please no one come in for about two minutes I promise I’m not hiding anything okay bye.” She was mumbling by the end and already edging towards the stairs that would take her to blessed safety when Sabine blocked her way.

Marinette squeaked as her mother put an arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the table. “Oh, come on, Marinette. Aren’t you going to say hi? I thought you two might know each other, considering I found him in your room and all.”

Chat was very pointedly focusing on the pastry in front of him, but he didn’t need to make eye contact with Marinette to know exactly what kind of glare she was giving him. 

“Don’t worry,” Tom said, “No one’s getting in trouble here, your mother and I know exactly what it’s like to be young and in love—” Marinette’s head hit the table with a thud he’d have to check later (if he didn’t die of a) embarrassment or b) Marinette) “—but we’d appreciate it if you brought him down more often. It’s not every day we get to talk to a superhero, after all.” If the teens hadn’t been so caught up in staring at the table like it was their last hope of survival, they would have caught the wink that passed between the couple.

“All right, I think they’ve suffered enough,” Sabine chuckled, even as she took a picture of the two on her phone which she immediately saved in an ever-growing folder. The same one that had those screenshots of the pictures from when Adrien and their daughter had been caught together at the movies. “You two can head on upstairs. But if we hear anything suspicious—”

_ “Maman!” _

-

As soon as they got to her room, Marinette dropped her bags on the floor and turned towards Chat. “I am so,  _ so _ sorry.” 

Chat laughed as he pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry about it, Princess. It’s… Nice. You know, having parents that care like that…” 

“Kitty…” Marinette finally moved, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as she held him tighter. “You better get used to it. I think they like you.”

A rumble started in his chest, one that he knew better than to try and suppress. He closed his eyes and sighed, enjoying the hug. 

It was Marinette who pulled away first. “I’m just going to lock the trapdoor, in case they try and surprise us.” As she did so, his eyes wandered to the bags she’d gotten.

“Princess? Are those… For me?” Marinette turned, wide-eyed, to the space three feet away from her. She glanced up at him before lunging for the bags, but he was quicker. She ended up on the floor and thinking that if there was a merciful God, he would let her sink into the wood and disappear. 

“I hate everything,” she mumbled.

“Except me, right?” He winked down at her. She rolled her eyes. “Right. Let’s see what we have here… All right, a feather toy, that could be fun,” he said, pulling out the item in question and setting it on her desk. Next up was the tiniest t-shirt he had ever seen, black with a green paw print — “Hmm, I don’t think this will fit,” — a squeaky mouse — “Maybe it will help you get up in the morning?” — and a catnip toy — “Princess, are you trying to  _ drug _ me?!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Marinette said, pushing herself off the floor and making a grab for the bag. He simply held it up, out of her reach, snickering.

“Ah, ah, ah, there’s still something else.” He pulled it out, feeling slightly guilty as he noticed how red her face had turned, but unable to help himself. Curiosity and cats and all that. He blinked as he found himself holding a tiny black collar with small bell on the front. “Oh, Mari… You shouldn’t have…” It was hard to contain the laughter bubbling up from his chest, and he ultimately failed.

“This is what I get for feeding _ strays _ ,” Marinette grumbled, stalking over to the couch and throwing herself face-down onto it.

* * *

 

The next morning, Marinette woke up to something impossibly small and warm against her face. She opened her eyes to find a tiny black kitten with green eyes, wearing the collar she’d bought yesterday. There was a note attached.

_ Hope you didn’t get rid of all the toys, Princess. _

“Stupid kitty,” she whispered to herself, even as she pulled the kitten into her arms, a huge smile on her lips.


	4. Croissant Murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so I've been dogsitting and starting online classes and haven't had free time at the same time I've had internet for a while. So obviously I haven't been able to post on this for a while. I'll be working as quick as I can, when I can, but don't expect this to get done on time lmao. Thanks for sticking around  <3
> 
> Also, I might go a bit out of order as inspiration hits. Be prepared.

“Marinette, you should really get to bed.” 

“Five more minutes, Tikki, I just want to finish this detail…” 

The seamstress was working on a new skirt, soft gray with basically a pastel flower garden on the left side. It was a simple enough concept, but she wanted to hand embroider the whole thing and found herself lost in the task. 

“You said that 15 minutes ago, Marinette!” The exasperated kwami flew in front of the girl’s face, arms crossed. 

“Yes, but this time, I mean it. I promise.” 

Tikki sighed and flew somewhere else, muttering about stubbornness. Marinette would apologize with a cookie later, but for now, she had three flowers to finish. 

Just as she was finishing the second, she heard a noise on the roof directly above her. She shot a worried glance to Tikki, silently motioning the kwami to hide. Marinette slowly made her way to the skylight and opened it as quietly as she could. 

There was nothing on the balcony when she looked out, but… The noise had come from the roof, not the balcony. 

Without a sound, she pulled herself up, wondering how she was going to check the roof without Tikki’s help, given that there was an entire chimney stack in the way. Turning around, she found she didn’t have to. 

Her eyes picked out a black silhouette against a blacker sky, laying right on top of the chimney. 

A hand flew to her mouth to stifle the cry that bubbled up, unbidden, but enough of it escaped to alert the mysterious figure to her presence. As it turned towards her, Marinette’s mind shifted to Ladybug-mode and she found herself thinking faster and with more clarity than she thought possible. 

First — was this an akuma? This question went hand-in-hand with the second — had she been discovered? No, she reasoned to both, akumas were driven by strong emotions, impatient and careless so long as they got what they wanted (and the Miraculous as well). They wouldn’t be calmly sitting on her roof, and they certainly wouldn’t be… 

Flinching back in surprise… 

Or falling off the roof… 

Onto her balcony… 

And they definitely didn’t have a leather-like catsuit on, complete with a set of ears and a tail. 

“Chat?” Marinette asked, dropping her hand and taking a step towards the figure, now sprawled on the floor, “Chat Noir?” 

He quickly gathered himself and sprung up. Any embarrassed blush was washed out in the moonlight. “At your service, little lady,” he said, dropping into a deep bow before slipping closer and leaning against the railing. “What brings you out here on a night like this?” 

Marinette had to suppress an eyeroll at his question, but his use of her nickname from the Evillistrator incident helped her summon the fangirl-like attitude she had used for him at the time. She giggled, a bit too high to be natural, but she hoped he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. “I live here, silly. Remember? I should be asking what Paris’ coolest superhero is doing on my roof.” 

Perhaps she was laying it on a bit too thick, but she knew that Ladybug was more popular with most citizens. A lot of people thought of Chat as her sidekick, and nothing seemed to be able to dispel that notion. It was definitely worth it to see his face light up briefly in a surprise before he composed himself again, a slight smirk on his lips.

“Can’t a cat visit his favorite civilian without an interrogation?” 

Marinette laughed again. “If you think one question is an interrogation, you _clearly_ have never hung out with Alya — outside of your interviews, that is. Besides, a little cat nap on the roof hardly counts as visiting me.” 

Chat’s expression shifted slightly as his free hand came up to rub the back of his neck. “…Alright, you caught me. I just needed to get out of my house for a bit, and I was running by and smelled the bakery, and… Well, it’s been two months since I’ve had something sweet, and I would _literally_ kill for a croissant, but I don’t think Ladybug would see that as acceptable justification, so I was considering other options that preferably didn’t involve any sort of crime… Oh, God, I’m rambling about this now, I’m sorry.” He laughed nervously, his expression bordering on sheepish. 

Marinette might have laughed with him, but she was still stuck on something he had said. “It’s been… Two months? What have you been eating?” The concern on her face was very real, fake fangirl persona dropped in lieu of a wave of protectiveness that surged through her. She took in his form. 

Perhaps it was a contextual bias, and perhaps it was the washed out moonlight, but she swore he looked underweight. How had she not noticed before? She supposed it was because with whenever she saw him, there was something more pressing on her mind — namely, figuring out what the akumatized object was and how to get it. Also, he never was standing as still as he was right now. In battles, he was constantly in motion, fighting with a strength that made her associate any lack of normal levels of body fat with simply being super athletic. 

As her eyes made their way back to his face, he seemed almost taken aback at her level of concern. Right, some random girl wouldn’t be acting like this… But this was more important. She could just shrug it off as being a very caring person. It’s not like it was a _lie…_

“Sit,” she ordered, pointing to the pink-and-white striped chair. He seemed to hesitate for a second, but she fixed him with a look that left no room for argument and he quickly made his way over. “Now, stay there. I’ll be right back.” 

Without waiting for a reply, she dropped back down into her room. Tikki was pointedly sitting on top of her clock that read at half an hour past midnight. “He needs this more than I need sleep, Tikki.” 

She could see the kwami’s natural compassion warring with her concern for her chosen. In the end, her face softened. “All right. But be careful; you know what they say about feeding strays,” she giggled. 

Marinette laughed with her before making her way down to the kitchen silently. She’d had enough practice with midnight kitchen runs after late akumas to know where all the loud spots in the house were. Stopping at the fridge, she pulled out meat and other sandwich necessities before continuing her raid. He’d said ‘something sweet,’ specifically a croissant, but she’d be damned if he left without a proper meal. 

When she got to the leftover pastries, she hesitated for a second before grabbing a box. Whatever. Her parents would understand, and it’s not like they were going to sell them. 

When she made it back to her room, she grabbed the skirt and needle so she could finish the project. She opened the skylight and pushed the food out first, then followed with the skirt over her shoulder… Meaning she was treated to Chat’s open-mouthed stare, his eyes almost as big as the plate. 

“Is this…” 

“All for you, Kitty,” she finished the sentence for him, picking up the plate and depositing it on his lap. “And don’t even think about leaving until you’ve eaten everything on that plate. The box is for you to take home.” 

A series of conflicting emotions crossed Chat’s face as he stared at the food on his lap. “But… My father…” 

Marinette’s expression turned puzzled as she looked around the balcony. She went to her plants, looking under the leaves, then made her way to the railing, looking out into the streets. She finally went back to the chair and got on her hands and knees to look under it. “Huh, that’s weird,” she sighed as she stood up, hands on her hips. 

Chat was beyond confused. “...What is?” 

“Your father doesn’t seem to be here,” Marinette said pointedly before motioning to the food. “Eat. I won’t ask again.” 

The last of Chat’s resolve disappeared as he picked up the sandwich with a mental note to never get on Marinette’s bad side.


	5. Protecting Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language warning for this chapter. It's in French tho.

Honestly, she didn’t quite know how this akuma had snuck up on her. 

One minute, she’d been running down the street, late for school (again) — okay, so maybe she had an  _ idea _ of how she hadn’t noticed it — and the next, she’d been engulfed by a crowd of frightened Parisians running away from… 

A really big chicken? 

It was at least eight feet tall, but so far hadn’t shown any sign of special powers. She groaned. She didn’t have  _ time _ for this, and the streets were too crowded for her to slip away and quickly transform. She was already on the side of the street, though, near a cafe, so she ducked under a table in the hopes that it would pass quickly. 

Not two seconds later, she heard a huge sneeze, followed by a familiar flash of black and silver flying across her vision. Marinette sighed in relief. Chat would lead it away… Right? 

As he engaged the akuma, people quickly got the idea to run away, and fast. 

_ “Fils de pute!” _ Chat yelped, narrowly avoiding a powerful kick. “Hawk Moth,  _ c’est quoi ce bordel?” _

Marinette watched as Chat extended his baton and swung it towards the chicken’s head. That seemed to be the plan, anyway; halfway through, he sneezed, which disrupted him enough for the akuma to grab the baton and pluck it out of Chat’s dazed grasp. His momentum from the swing, however, lifted him off his feet and he didn’t actually let go until he was in the air, sending him flying down the street. 

Marinette acted on complete instinct, forgetting she was Marinette, not Ladybug. 

“Hey,  _ connasse!” _ she yelled, coming out from under the table. 

The chicken could understand  _ that, _ at least, and turned just in time to get hit square between the eyes by a physics textbook. The baton fell from its mouth, just as planned. It took a step towards her just as an all-too-familiar outline appeared over its eyes. It glanced back at the baton, and Marinette knew enough to guess that Hawk Moth was telling it to get Chat’s Miraculous while he was down and Ladybug wasn’t there. 

Marinette was having exactly none of that. 

“What, too  _ chicken _ to fight a  _ girl?” _

That seemed to strike a nerve. She idly wondered if this was someone who had been called a chicken. It seemed more likely than anything else she could theorize at the moment. 

She found herself taking a few steps backward as the chicken advanced, luring it away so Chat could retrieve his baton. 

When it was five steps away, her hands closed on the back of a chair. 

When it was two steps away, she swung with all her might… 

Thwack! When it stumbled, she repeated the action, hoping to at least daze it enough to not try and kick her. Four solid hits later, she was pulled back via a leather-clad hand on her shoulder. 

“I’ve got it from here, go get somewhere safe!” 

She nodded and dropped the chair, not thinking wtice before sprinting around the corner and ducking into the nearest alley.

“We’d better get out there before Chat loses a lung,” Tikki observed, zipping out of Marinette’s purse. 

“Time to transform,” Marinette agreed. “Tikki, spots on!”

 

* * *

One flash of pink, matador-flag lucky charm, and fist bump later, Marinette was running up the stairs to her class. She’d had enough time to use the Ladybug shortcut to her school before her transformation wore off and was desperately hoping she just might make it on time… Tikki’s luck was on her side as she pushed open the door.

She had just enough time to see that Mlle Bustier wasn’t there before— 

“That! Was! Incredible!” 

The poor girl didn’t know what hit her until Alya’s voice registered in her ears. Similar cries reached her ears as the whole class caught sight of her… 

Minus two people, that is. 

“Hmph. Figures,” Chloe sniffed. “Of course, even Marinette would be more helpful than that mangy sidekick.” 

The whole class fell silent as a fire flashed in Marinette’s eyes. “Excuse me?” She was  _ livid _ as she turned towards the blonde. 

“You heard me,” Chloe replied coolly, pulling out a nail file. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Chat Noir is nothing without Ladybug, and he never will be.” 

Marinette had to fight back the urge to quote Antibug saying the opposite, that Ladybug was nothing without Chat, but no one else had been there. She went for the next best option. 

“Right, because you’re  _ so _ helpful during akuma attacks. You have a total of one thing you’re capable of doing when you’re afraid — calling daddy. Chat Noir not only actually defends himself, but he makes sure Ladybug has the support she needs — yes, needs, because she can’t do everything by herself — no matter the cost to himself. He willingly takes the fall for her, over and over, to the point of letting himself go under the influence of akumas because it would have been her instead. If it wasn’t for him, Hawk Moth would have had the Miraculouses the very first day he’d sent an akuma, and I, for one, don’t want to even think about what Paris would be like right now if that was the case.” She finally paused to take a deep breath and cross her arms. “For someone who claims to be one of Ladybug’s best friends, you sure do spend a lot of time criticizing the one person that’s kept her alive all this time.” 

She sat down in a huff, ignoring the surprised looks on everyone’s faces. That was how Mlle Bustier found the class ten seconds later. “Wow, complete silence? What happened to my class? Someone call Ladybug and Chat Noir.” The tension was broken with a nervous laugh shared by the class.

 

* * *

 

“You  _ filmed _ it?!” 

Alya held her phone away from her ear at Marinette’s screech. “I already was. I had to get an interview to go with that awesome footage of you beating the crap out of that akuma this morning. Leave it to Chloe to be…” 

“Chloe,” Marinette finished with a resigned sigh. 

“Yep. But seriously, girl, I didn’t take you to be such a diehard Chat fan,” Alya teased, cradling the phone against her shoulder so she could get in the middle of  an argument the twins were having. “What brought that on?” 

She heard another sigh in reply. “I don’t know, I guess I just hate it when people don’t get the recognition they deserve.” 

“Mhm,” Alya paused to make a threatening gesture at her sisters, who laughed. “Is that why you keep forgetting to sign your stuff for a certain green-eyed model?” 

“Alya!” 

“I’m just teasing, Mari. But speaking of that sunshine child… Did you watch the whole vid?” She heard a scrambling on the other side of the line and knew that her best friend was opening the Ladyblog on her computer. “Go to two minutes, twelve seconds in.” 

There was a pause, then— “Oh. My. God. Ugh. Wai— Aaaaah!!!” Alya smiled, waiting patiently. “Alya! He was smiling! At me!” 

“Mhm. Seems to me like you two have some common interests. Maybe you can try a conversation tomorrow…?” 

A sigh. “We’ll see… Aaah, I gotta go, my… My parents just called. Yep. They need my help. Downstairs. In the bakery. Yeah. See you tomorrow?” 

“Bye, girl. Don’t stay up too late replaying that!”

* * *

Bonus:

_ “What, too  _ chicken _ to fight a  _ girl?”

Adrien paused the video and went five seconds back to watch it again with a sigh.

“Plagg, is it normal to be in love with two girls at the same time?”


	6. Plagg & Mari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-Reveal
> 
> This is so short and cliche but honestly I haven't written Plagg enough to know how to do this better soooooooo this is what you get. Sorry. More effort promised for literally every other chapter.

“I understand where you’re coming from, but why — you know what? No. I  _ don’t _ understand where you’re coming from. Why would  _ anyone _ eat  _ pastries _ when  _ Camembert _ exists?”

Marinette giggled as she folded the dough and rolled it out again, careful to keep the layer of butter intact. “Plagg, tell me, how long have you been around for?”

The kwami let out an indignant huff. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re getting at. Yes, I ate other things before my sweet Camembert was invented, but now I’ve seen the light. I’ve tasted Heaven. Gooey, runny,  _ Heaven. _ I’ve corrected my ways — why wouldn’t anyone else?”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she returned the dough to the fridge and got out the next batch. “Because, silly, some people like this little thing called  _ variety. _ Tikki understands; she doesn’t only want chocolate chip cookies all the time.”

“Okay, but—”

He was silenced as Marinette turned around and fixed him with A Look™. “Plagg, are you really going to tell me, to my face, that you didn’t like the macaroon during the Dark Owl attack?”

“We were being  _ rushed, _ I—”

“Plagg?”

“...Okay,  _ fine, _ it wasn’t terrible.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Their conversation was cut short by the oven timer. Marinette opened it to pull out a tray of special cheese danishes.

“Are those… Camembert pastries?”

Marinette’s smile was answer enough. “You’re not allowed to touch them until they’re cool. You won’t taste them properly otherwise.”

“But  _ Maaaariiiiii _ —”

“Is my kwami harassing you again?”

The pair turned to the stairway, a just-woken-up Adrien giving Plagg a stern look. The kwami in question let out an offended gasp before flying up to his chosen. “Me? Harass _her?_ _She’s_ the one harassing _me!”_

Adrien raised an eyebrow at Marinette, who was still leaning against the counter next to the oven. “Is this true?”

“Of course not. Zero harassing going on here.” A playful gleam in her eye said otherwise.

Plagg tugged on Adrien’s sleeve. “She’s withholding  _ Camembert _ from me! You  _ know _ how much I  _ love _ Camembert!”

“Hmm… I’m gonna have to side with my bugaboo on this one. You need to be taught some restraint,” Adrien said, poking Plagg in the stomach. The kwami made an indignant noise, then flew upstairs, most likely to complain to Tikki.

“Hope I’m not getting you in  _ too _ much trouble,” Marinette said, finally walking over to Adrien and looping her arms around his neck.

“Eh. If he gives me too much crap for this, I’ll just threaten him with the Easy Cheese I got from New York a few months ago.”

Marinette giggled. “I’m so glad I have Tikki.”

Adrien tilted her head up to his with his finger. “I’m so glad I have  _ you.” _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then they kissed and two out of three people were happy and I found some way to end this. Have I mentioned how bad I am at ending things comfortably?


	7. Hanahaki Disease

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enter me, stage right, knowing nothing about how this works except that it’s sad and there’s flowers. according to Google, though, there's a couple of different ways this could go soooo we're going with that.
> 
> also, if you noticed the 32 chapters going back to 31, that's because I originally wanted to do two different things for this day but then I realized the second one wasn't exactly Marichat-centric so that'll be posted on its own at another point.
> 
> and if you're wondering why I'm actually posting a chapter on time, this was the first one I wrote for this. I've been very excited for today lmao.
> 
> enough of me and my soapbox. enjoy >:3

It was a Thursday night when it started. Marinette and Chat had been sharing a blanket on the couch in her apartment, the credits of some rom-com rolling across the screen. The girl’s chest gave a few light spasms, not unnoticed by the cat. A few moments later, she coughed like she was trying to get something out of her throat. Chat soothingly rubbed her back.

“Everything alright, princess?” She nodded, clearing her throat. “Can I get you some water?” Another nod. He stood, not needing to turn the lights on to know his way around her kitchen. When he returned, she was asleep. He smiled softly as he picked her up and carried her, bridal style, to her room. He went back to the living room to get her water.

Chat could hear her breathing from outside the bedroom door, and his brow wrinkled in concern. He dropped his transformation before entering, figuring the lack of light would be sufficient to cover him if she wasn’t fully asleep yet. There was already a coaster on her nightstand, so he set the glass on that before reaching out with a tentative hand to feel her forehead. The temperature was normal and he sighed in relief. Maybe he’d bring over some cough syrup tomorrow if she wasn’t feeling better.

She didn’t really get better, though. Some days were better than others, but he didn’t see her every day. It worried him, thinking about how bad it might be, thinking about how much pain she might be hiding from him.

Sixteen days in, and his fifth visit since her first round of coughing, he brought takeout Italian food. They made some small talk, dancing around the subject they both knew he wanted to bring up.

When she was coughing so hard she fell off her chair, Chat was there to catch her, patting her back and whispering comforting things. She clung to his shoulders for several minutes after the bout passed.

“Have you gone to the doctor about this?” He asked, looking down at her with eyes full of concern.

She shrugged. “It’s just a cough. I’ll be fine. I _am_ fine.”

_You’re not fine._

But he couldn’t say that. He didn’t know what _was_ wrong, so it wasn’t like he could just go in, flinging accusations.

“I don’t like seeing you like this,” he said gently instead.

“It’s not your fault, Kitty.”

The next week kept them busy enough that they weren’t free at the same time until the following Tuesday, the twenty-sixth day. When he opened the balcony door, he didn’t see her. He walked into her room and saw her lying on the bed, facing away from the door.

“Princess?” His night vision alerted him to the fact that she was shaking. Her blankets had been pushed to the side, so she wasn’t cold… Was she crying?

“I went to the doctors a few days ago.” Her broken voice confirmed his suspicions. He quickly made his way over to her, sitting on the edge of the mattress and running his hand up and down her arm. He didn’t push for information.

She turned over, and he could see the red puffiness around her eyes, the dark circles underneath them. “Oh, Marinette,” he sighed, feeling his throat clench with his own emotion. He wouldn’t cry, though, not when she needed someone to be there for her, to be strong.

“They said it’s — they can’t — I’m going to —” She couldn’t finish her sentence, no matter how she started it. Her hysteria brought on a fresh wave of tears, though, and he sat on the bed more fully. He moved up to the headboard and sat against it, drawing her head against his chest as the sobs and resulting coughs worked their way through her in turns. His heart was breaking for her, but all he could do was stroke her hair as she cried herself to sleep.

When he left, hours later, he stopped in the living room as he looked down at himself. His chest had… _something_ on it. Eight somethings, to be specific. He went into the kitchen so he could turn the light on without worrying about waking her up. When he did, a wave of dread washed through him.

Five purple flower petals and three yellow ones adorned his suit. He de-transformed, his kwami even knowing enough to stay silent. Adrien pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly searched the internet to identify the flowers.

Scabiosas: unfortunate love.

Yellow chrysanthemums: slighted love.

No doubt remained in his mind. It had only been a month, so she still had two to go before this would claim her life. If she was lucky.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to punch something — _anything_ would be better than doing nothing. But there was nothing to be done. Nothing within his control, anyway.

He left that night feeling numb, not really noticing that his throat had never relaxed. The only thought occupying his mind was wondering what kind of idiot wouldn’t love Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

She seemed better on Friday, but on Wednesday (day thirty-four) he had to go into the bathroom to find her. The yellow and purple petals were everywhere. It looked like she had originally tried to contain them by throwing up into the toilet, but gave up on that when it was too much effort. Now, her forehead was pressed against the cool surface of the bathtub.

Chat observed the scene for a second before making his way over to her. He sat next to her and pulled her towards him, cradling her head with his arms. “Who?” he asked gently.

Marinette shook her head. “It’s so stupid. I… I used to like him, I thought it was just some stupid crush, and I didn’t see him for a year because _life,_ you know? And I tried to date other guys, but nothing felt right and I didn’t know why until… I saw him a little over a month ago. I saw him and realized I never let go of him. But he never had to let _me_ go, because he never even knew he had me in the first place. I’m so stupid. And now… I’m going to…” She collapsed back into his embrace, fresh sobs clawing their way out.

“Princess, who is it?” he asked a few minutes later, when she had quieted again. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to go and beat some sense into this guy. Anyone would be an idiot to not notice you.”

This earned a weak chuckle, but she only shook her head.

The next day, Adrien had a slight cough. He made some tea and told himself it was because a pigeon had looked at him funny earlier.

That Friday, Chat met up with Ladybug. After Hawk Moth had been defeated, they didn’t feel the need to patrol as often, but they still made an effort to meet every two or three weeks. After all, five years of saving Paris together had formed one of the strongest bonds of friendship in his life, rivaled only by Marinette.

He’d long since given up his romantic pursuit of his spotted partner. Proper socialization in high school and his first two years at university had helped him distinguish different types of love, and he was truly more than content with being the best friend he could be to Ladybug.

Something had seemed off with her the past two times they’d met, but she’d passed it off as stress from her classes. That was believable enough. He’d also told himself he was just projecting his concerns about Marinette. This time, though, she didn’t even look up when he landed next to her on the Eiffel Tower.

“Please don’t say anything, not until I finish.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, looking for all the world like she was preparing herself to jump over the railing. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it would be like this.”

Chat had to stop a million questions from firing off his tongue. Asking if she was okay — no, _idiot,_ obviously she’s not — asking what was wrong, if there was anything he could do, _what_ didn’t she know would be like this, what even was _this_ , what—

“I had a speech all memorized to tell you, actually. I can’t even remember how it starts.” She turned towards him, then, and he saw her cheeks were wet with tears. He closed the distance between them with a single step, taking her into his arms and holding her. “I guess it would be better to show you. You don’t have to do the same thing for me — you’ll see, just a second — but this is the best way for me to tell you what I’m trying to say. And… I’m sorry if I can’t say much. The suit helps with being able to talk.”

Before he knew what was happening, there was a flash of pink light and he heard an all-too-familiar cough between his arms.

His partner, his Lady… His princess, his… “Marinette,” he whispered, and it was almost lost to the complete silence that followed. He tried so hard to say something, _anything,_ because it wasn’t like he was the one _dying_ or anything here. But, after a mentally trying month with Marinette and now finding out that not one, but _both_ of his best friends were the same person, dying the same death…

It was too much for him to take.

He sank to his knees, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his face into his stomach as his emotions overtook him. _“I love you!”_ he wanted to yell. _“Isn’t that enough?”_

But it didn’t work that way. He knew that.

She lowered herself to her knees as well, allowing Chat to bury his face in her neck, stroking his hair the way she knew he liked.

“It’s not fair,” he mumbled. “There has to be some other way. I can’t lose you.” He pulled back, catching and holding her gaze. “Please, Princess, tell me who he is.”

“And what would you do, Kitty?” The corners of her lips rose minutely into a sad smile. “You can’t force someone to love.”

_No, you can’t._

A pause hung in the air with another question. “I… I know there’s a way to fix this. That surgery. But… I don’t know who I would be without being able to love. That scares me worse that dying.” She looked down, then back up at him. “Is that selfish?”

Chat could only force himself to shake his head. “Either way, I’d lose you.”

Eventually, they broke apart, sitting side-by-side, watching the lights of Paris until the sun rose.

Most of Saturday morning was spent passed out, the night having completely drained him despite only going to the Eiffel Tower and back. When he woke up, he wasn’t even surprised to see the yellow petals strewn across his pillowcase. They were different from Marinette’s yellow, though, and in a state of numbness, he reached for his phone to see what kind they were.

Yellow acacias: secret love.

Weeks passed. He still visited her as Chat. She was right about the suit helping suppress the petals, and he was able to hide his own affliction from her. They didn’t talk much, both too exhausted. Besides, neither really knew what to say. Talking about the end was just depressing, and talking about anything else felt like they were just _avoiding_ the topic, which they were, but it didn’t make it any better.

On the seventy-second day, a Saturday, at 19:38, he got a text.

_It’s bad. Please come._

In the time it took to transform, he’d received another that he looked at on his baton.

_I’m so scared._

He was sure he’d never made it to her apartment as fast as he did.

There was a trail of full blossoms leading into the bedroom and he sprinted in to find her in a heap among the blankets. His hands hovered a hair’s breadth away from her, not wanting to make anything worse.

“I think — I think this is the end,” she whispered, looking up to meet his eyes, neither one hiding their tears.

“Tell me what to do,” he pleaded.

“Can you make me feel loved?”

He was surprised he couldn’t hear how his heart shattered at those words. His face remained unchanged, though; human expression had its limits, and his had already been at the extreme end of grief.

Chat pulled the shaking girl into his arms, a familiar gesture that now held an air of finality. “You are so loved,” he whispered against her hair.

“Can I feel your arms? Your real arms?”

He dropped his transformation without a second thought. Marinette kept her head against his chest, coughs convulsing her body.

“Please hold on, Princess. I don’t want to live my life without you.” His fingers stroked her cheeks, her hair, her spine. “I love you, so much.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep a new wave of sadness from crashing over him, instead ducking his head to press his lips against her forehead.

With one last flurry of flowers, she grew still in his arms.

He didn’t trust his voice, he had to try anyway. His entire being rejected the idea that his best friend, the love of his life, was lying dead in his arms.

 

 

 

“Marinette?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He bowed his head, hot tears spilling down his cheeks as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He could almost _feel_ his spirit pouring into her, thought it was definitely just a product of his imagination, willing her to move, to do something, to say…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Adrien?”

 

 

 

 

 

He pulled his head back, hardly trusting his ears. He swore he had never felt so happy to see those bluebell eyes blinking open.

“My Lady…” His whisper was joyful and reverent and loving, all in one. Then, something clicked. “...Me?”

“It’s always been you, you stupid cat,” Marinette replied, a smile lighting up her face as she shakily laughed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for the longest, most fulfilling hug of his entire life.

When they eventually let go of each other, it was with a mutual sigh. “So,” Adrien began. “I guess this makes _me_ the idiot who I was so willing to beat up?”

Marinette laughed again as her eyes finally broke away from his face, traveling to his shirt. Her expression clouded in confusion as she pulled a yellow petal off. “This isn’t mine…? Oh,” she leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder. “We’re both idiots.”

“Hey,” Adrien said, tilting her head up with a finger. “I’m _your_ idiot. We’re here now.”

She smiled at that. “Mine. I like the sound of that.” She pulled him down again, but this time, it was to press their lips together.

 

* * *

 

The next time he came over, he was dressed for dinner and used the method of entry that most other people used. She opened the door to be greeted by a bouquet of flowers.

“Daffodils, for new beginnings,” he explained, “Baby’s breath, for everlasting love; calendulas, because ladybugs like them; and ambrosia, for returned love. Not the most conventional arrangement, but —”

He didn’t get to finish that sentence, the girl instead finding a better use for his mouth.


	8. Kitty Kisses

“...And I’m not too sure how I like  _ this _ one. Like, I like it, but it could definitely be better. I’m thinking maybe if I put a belt around the waist? Ugh, but what  _ color _ would it even be?” Marinette sighed, staring at the sketch, before turning back to Chat. “What do you think, kitty?”

At least, she  _ meant _ to ask that. It didn’t quite make it to her lips, though, not with the expression she found on his face. A small smile graced his lips, his eyes somewhat out of focus as he looked at her. Her, not her sketchbook, but Marinette couldn’t find it in herself to be offended that he wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying.

His eyes closed for a second, then slowly opened. She found herself mirroring the action, but she couldn’t say why.

“...Chat?”

He gave his head a slight shake, snapping himself out of whatever that was. His smile turned sheepish as he glanced at one of her latest dress designs. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

* * *

 

 

The next day was this semester’s class community service project day. The activity they’d decided on was volunteering at a local animal shelter for a few hours. They had the choice to work with the dogs or the cats — or, in Chloe’s case, show up waving a slip claiming she was temporarily allergic to animals — and Marinette went with the cats. Others in her group were Nathanael, Juleka, Rose, Ivan, Sabrina, and —  _ ‘Be still, my beating heart,’ _ she thought to herself — Adrien.

It only took them around an hour to do all the cleaning and feeding, then they were free to spend the rest of the time petting and playing with the cats and kittens. “Socialization is important, too. Cats get the shorter end of the stick for not expressing their affection as openly as dogs do.”

Marinette tried to give equal amounts of attention to all the cats, but one kept coming back to her of its own will. She found herself favoring that one a bit as well. Certainly not due to its black fur and green eyes. Of course not.

“Ooh, that one likes you,” one of the supervising volunteers said. 

Marinette laughed. “No kidding. I can’t keep him away!”

“Well, there’s that, but did you see the way he’s blinking at you?”

Behind the pair, Adrien paused in the middle of trying to get an orange cat off his shoulders without dropping her.

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked.

“Watch for it again. Cats blink really slowly when they’re around someone they really like. It’s basically the equivalent of giving someone a kiss.” As she spoke, the cat did it again while looking at Marinette, who squealed in reply. “Go ahead, do it back. They understand when humans reciprocate.”

Marinette looked into the cat’s eyes and blinked slowly. The cat started purring in her arms. Marinette smiled, remembering the moment she and Chat had shared the night before.

Adrien smiled, too.

* * *

 

 

“So, what are we doing tonight, Princess? Watching a movie, or watching you kick my butt at UMS III again?” Chat asked as soon as he was through the skylight.

“Just a second, kitty. I want to try something first.”

Chat walked over and sat next to Marinette on the chaise. “Is everything okay?”

Marinette excitedly grabbed his hands. “Everything’s fine. I just learned something really cool today and I want to try it out. Just… go with it, okay?”

“Whatever you want, Princess.”

“I want you to tell me how this makes you feel.” Marinette looked him directly in the eyes and slowly, deliberately, blinked her eyes. 

Chat smiled. “I don’t know, really… Warm. Happy. Good.”

Marinette released his hands to clasp hers together in front of her. “Then it worked! That’s how cats express love, I was really hoping it would work on you.”

Chat’s smile grew bigger. “Can I try something, too?”

“Sure!”

“Close your eyes.”

After a moment of hesitation, she did. A few seconds later, she felt something soft against her lips. 

_ He’s  _ kissing  _ me. _

What surprised her more, though, was the fact that she was returning it. Soft and sweet and  _ perfect, _ it was everything she’d thought her first kiss would be, but it was over too soon. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his.

“That’s how people express love,” he said, and Marinette couldn’t have had a bigger smile if she tried.


	9. Chat Merch

“Adrien!”

He stiffened as his name was called. Years of experience with this helped him slip on his default model smile as he turned to find whoever was calling his name. When he saw her, though, a genuine smile broke through and reached his eyes.

“Marinette! Hey! Long time, no see,” he chuckled, waiting for her to catch up. He wasn’t sure how to act around her, not as Adrien. Chat Noir had been visiting her for a while now, from helping her study for some of her classes to playing UMS III until the crack of dawn, to…

He smiled as he remembered their interactions through the past month.

_“Chat!” she’d squealed as he slipped through the window of her apartment. Before he knew what was happening, she’d jumped up on him, giving him the tightest hug he’d ever been involved in. All of Chloe’s included. “I did it! I got a ninety four on the physics test!”_

_“What?!” Chat had caught her and supported her with ease, of course, but now he found himself sharing her excitement and squeezing her back. “That’s amazing! I knew you could do it, Princess.”_

_“Not without you, though,” she said, drawing back to look at him. “Thank you so much. Oh, my God, I’m so happy I could_ kiss _you.”_

_They both froze for a second before Chat and his stupid mouth had to speak up. “Is that a promise?”_

_In reply, she surged forward, her lips meeting his and—_

“It has been forever, hasn’t it?” Marinette laughed, dragging Adrien back to the present. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since _lycée_ let out. In person, anyway.”

Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, I think that’s about right. How have you been?”

“Oh, great, University is so much more fun than I thought it would be! Super stressful, of course, but… Lots of good stuff coming out of it.”

 _I wonder what happened to her stammer. It’s nice to be able to hear full sentences from her as Adrien, too…_ “That’s good. I’m liking it a lot, too.” _Wow. Could you be just a_ bit _more awkward?_

If Marinette noticed his strange behavior, she didn’t say anything about it. “So, actually, I was hoping I would find you here. There’s something I could use your help with, if you don’t mind?”

Confusion briefly passed over his face. Marinette hadn’t told Chat about anything. “What is it?”

“Well, you know how I make clothing and stuff on the side, just to help out with expenses?”

“Yeah, I follow your account on instagram. Your stuff is really good!” He’d also spent many nights watching her sew and model the clothes she was selling, but she didn’t know that.

“Okay, well, no pressure, obviously, but… I made some new stuff for a friend, and I wanted it to be a surprise for him, only I completely spaced out when I was making it and made it in his size, and obviously I can’t ask _him_ to model it, because that would ruin the whole thing, but you kind of have the same build as him, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m asking you just because you’re _already_ a model, but—”

“Marinette.”

“...Yeah?”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Of course I’ll help you out with this.”

 

* * *

 

 

That was how Adrien found himself in Marinette’s bathroom with an armful of black and green clothing that Saturday.

“Is this… Chat Noir merchandise?” he asked, holding up a neon green button-down. Upon further inspection, he noticed paw prints on the black buttons that went down the shirt.

“Uhm, yeah, I wanted to make some stuff that wasn’t like those tacky t-shirts that they sell to tourists,” came Marinette’s voice from the other side of the door. She was changing into her first outfit too, the idea being that they’d take some pictures together and others separately. There were only five outfits total, though, so it wouldn’t be too long. “He’s really helped me out recently, and there’s not much I can do for him, but half the profits I make from selling these are going to be donated to local animal shelters. I hope he likes it…”

Adrien’s throat clenched for a second, guilt at finding out about this surprise for him warring with a surge of emotion towards the girl. “He’ll love it, Mari,” he choked out. “Anyone would.”

He changed in silence after that. Marinette seemed to be done with her own outfit, if the sounds of her humming while moving stuff around were any indication.

“Am I good to come out?” he asked, giving him a once-over in the mirror. The pants were simple black dress pants with some exposed green stitching around the pockets, with a black leather belt and silver fastener. The shirt came with a black bow tie, but the sleeves were rolled up to give it a more casual feel.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she called back. Adrien ran his hand through his hair before opening the door and coming out. He wasn’t prepared for the sight before him.

Marinette was on her hands and knees, facing away from him, fidgeting with something on the ground on the other side of the room. All he could see of her outfit was the leather skater skirt riding up the back of her legs.

_Don’t ogle your friend. Don’t be a creep. You’re Adrien right now._

It was with the most amount of willpower that he had ever summoned in his life that he was able to turn his head away from her, looking at literally anything else in the room. There was a small lighting rig next to a tripod with a camera perched on top of it pointing at a blank spot in the wall. She’d moved her nightstand out of the way, he realized.

“All right, you ready?” she asked. He jerked his head back towards her, not realizing she’d gotten up. His eyes were drawn to the rest of her outfit — a floaty green top with artful slashes revealing the black lining underneath, the black heels in her hand, and (he didn’t know whether this was Ladybug’s good luck or his own bad luck) a collar around her throat with a silver bell.

“Uh… Ready, yeah, totally,” he said, cheeks heating as he averted his gaze again.

“Alright, good,” Marinette said, seemingly oblivious to his reaction. “Just one last thing. Clip-on cat ears! Here’s yours.”

Adrien took them from her without a word, clipping them into his hair. He was too focused on keeping his thoughts under control to deal with worry that he’d look too much like his alter ego, but Marinette took care of that for him.

“Wow. You look… Really good,” she said, eyeing him as he turned back to her. “If they ever make a movie or something based on Ladybug and Chat, you’ve got my vote to play him.”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” he said with an eye roll. “As if I can act to save my life. But now that you mention it…” A thoughtful look came on his face. “You’d make a pretty decent Ladybug.”

“Pfft, no way.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “I’d whack myself in the eye with my yo-yo the first day. I’m _way_ too clumsy.”

Adrien laughed at that. “So true. I’m surprised you made it through school without having to go to the hospital.”

“You arrived late,” she sighed. “Anyway, I was thinking for posing… Since Chat’s kinda fun and flirty, do you think we could incorporate some of those vibes into the photos?”

Taking flirty pictures with Marinette, dressed in _his_ colors, but not being able to do anything more than that?

“Uh, yeah, whatever you want, Mari.”

He retracted his earlier statement.

“Great! So for the first one…”

This was going to be a _very_ long day.


	10. Bridal-Style

“Maybe one day you’ll get lucky, and Ladybug will lock you and Adrien in a panther cage. Then you’ll finally be forced to have a conversation with him.”

“Pfft. Don’t hold your breath, Alya.”

“I’m just saying! It worked for me, and look where I am now.”

“Yeah, yeah, wha—”

A scream sounded off to the right, a couple of streets over, from the volume of it. 

“Akuma!” the girls shouted in unison, one cautious, the other excited.

“Oh,  _ how _ am I going to get over there? What if Ladybug’s already there? Ugh! I’m missing everything!”

Another noise was heard, not quite a scream, but… a yell? And growing steadily louder, from the sound of it. Marinette looked at the rooftops, trying to asses the situation. Before she could tell what was happening, a black mass flew over the rooftops right in front of them. A second later, Marinette found said black mass in her arms.

“Chat?!” she half-shouted.

“Akuma!” he fully shouted. “Run!”

Well. She didn’t have to be told twice. She took off at a sprint, hardly slowed by her partner currently laying bridal-style in her arms. Two seconds later, red projectiles that she didn’t have time to look at started appearing from behind them.

“Chat, cover me!”

He immediately took out his baton and started swinging back at the things. “Marinette, what are you doing?”

“You told me to run!”

“Give me your Miraculous!”

“I meant  _ you _ run! By yourself, like, to safety! Put me down, I need to fight this witch!”

“...Right!” Marinette came to a dead stop, accidentally dropping Chat in her attempt to set him down as quickly as possible. “Sorry!”

He was already back on his feet, running towards the akuma. “Haven’t you ever heard of anti-aging cream?”

Marinette quickly found an alley to duck into. “Tikki, why am I such an idiot?” she asked as she opened her purse.

“You just took instructions literally, there’s nothing wrong with that,” the kwami giggled.

“I guess. This is going to come back to haunt me, I know it. But now, it’s time to transform. Tikki, spots on!”

* * *

 

 

Alya: Have you seen it?

Mari: Seen what?

Alya: Check the #1 trending tag right now.

Mari: k one sec…

Mari: ...What is Marichat and why do I feel like you have something to do with this?

Alya: Because I do :) I got you carrying Chat bridal-style on video :) And now Paris ships you :)

Mari: You WHAT

Alya: You’re welcome~ :)

Mari: How did you even get that on video?

Alya: I was already filming…?

Mari: You we

Mari: We were talking about ADRIEN

Mari: WHY were you FILMING?!?!

Alya: A true reporter’s work never ends >:)

Mari: I’m blaming all of my problems on you from here on out.

Alya: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 

* * *

 

 

“Me next!”

“Kim, you already got a turn. Let  _ me _ go!”

“I waited in line, fair and square!”

“That’s a fair point, Alix. It’s his turn,” Marinette reasoned.

The pink-haired girl sighed. “Fine. But I’m next.”

“Sounds good,” Marinette said before turning to the boy. “Kim, you ready?”

_ “Hell _ yes,” he said, smiling as Marinette scooped him up and took off running. She did a lap around the school, but when she got back to the courtyard, she nearly dropped Kim.

Adrien.

He was standing there, perfect as always, talking with Alya.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” she asked as casually as she could as she set Kim down properly.

“Adrien wants a turn!” Alya excitedly announced before he could speak. 

“You do?” Marinette could already feel her face going red.  _ Adrien… _ In  _ her _ arms… “That’s — uh — yeah, fine! Great! But, uh, it’s Alix’s turn next, and I think she’s going to punch someone if she doesn’t get that.”

“Don’t want me ruin your pretty model face, do you?” Alix asked, jumping into Marinette’s arms before she could move to pick her up.

“It’s fine, I can wait,” Adrien laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I have longer stuff in the works I just have other things I'm writing too and just. You know?


	11. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning! This chapter contains death and blood... *finger guns* but keep in mind the chapter title...

“Ladybug, catch!”

“Chat, watch out!”

As her partner threw the akumatized necklace towards her, he was too distracted to notice the sword swinging towards him. She caught the necklace and broke it, purifying the akuma in record time, but it was too late. When she looked over towards her partner, he was on the ground, red leaking out from where his hands were pressed against his stomach.

_ “Chat!” _ She rushed over to him, not feeling the pain as she fell to her knees with a jolt beside him. “No, no, no, stay with me, kitty,  _ please.” _

Lucky charm. Where was her lucky charm? She saw it across the plaza and stumbled up. She kept up a mantra in her head.  _ Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die… _

She clutched the red and black mirror in her hand before throwing it up with more force than necessary.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

She ran back to Chat’s side as the swirl of ladybugs swept around the plaza. They left to take care of the city without even going near Chat.

“No…”

A beeping warned her that her transformation had two minutes left. She didn’t care. She picked his head up and cradled it in her lap.

“Please,  _ chaton, _ I can’t do this without you.”

Was it raining? There was water on his face and hers.

“My… Lady…”

“Don’t leave me,” she sobbed.

“It’s okay,” he panted, reaching one of his hands up to stroke her face. The fact that he was smearing his blood on her cheek didn’t even register.

She reached for her yo-yo. She didn’t know if it would work, but she had to try…

“Miraculous Ladybug!” she cried, throwing it into the air. It dropped to the ground beside her, and she grabbed it again with a shaky hand. “Miraculous La… Ladybug…”

She was openly sobbing now, not caring that her earrings only had one minute left.

“I’m so sorry…”

_ “Marinette!” _

She ignored the voice, holding Chat closer to her.

_ “Marinette!” _

The world was going dark around them, and he was slipping through her arms despite her increasingly frantic attempts to hold onto him.

_ “Marinette!” _

“Chat!”

She sat bolt upright in her bed, shaking, the scene still clear in her mind.

“Marinette?” The name was accompanied by a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away and whirled around, taking in the worried expression on her partners face.

“...Chat?” she asked, feeling a fresh wave of tears come up. She reached out a trembling hand to touch the arm that was still suspended in mid-air from his attempt at comforting her. All it took was that small amount of contact for the whole force of her emotion come crashing down on her. She surged forward, arms wrapping around his chest like a vice as she sobbed.

He immediately returned the embrace. “Shh, shh, it was just a dream,” he murmured, hands tracing soothing patterns on her back. “You’re okay now.”

She shook her head before burying it further in the crook of his neck. “You,” she whispered. “I couldn’t save you. My lucky charm didn’t work… I’m so sorry… I couldn’t… You… You  _ died, _ Chat.”

She felt him freeze underneath her, hands stopping their motion. “...My Lady?”

Marinette pulled back to look at him, but found she couldn’t meet his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes closed and head bowed.

His hands moved to cup her face. “Marinette. Look at me.” His voice was soft, not upset. She slowly blinked her eyes open and raised them to his blurry face. “I’m right here, okay? I’m fine.” One of his hands found hers and held it to his chest. “Feel my heartbeat? I’m alive because of you. You  _ save _ people.”

Marinette nodded, concentrating on the steady beating. It was calming, and she closed her eyes again as she leaned down to rest her head against his chest. “Please don’t leave me,  _ chaton.” _

“I’m right here, Bugaboo,” he replied, stroking her hair. “And I will  _ never _ leave you.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [Tumblr](https://www.etoilesjaunes.tumblr.com) for more! <3


End file.
